In the 21st century, it can be hard to justify investing in print marketing. After all, we're a digital society made up of people glued to their smartphones. While internet marketing should certainly not be neglected given our reliance upon technology, print marketing should also not be given the shaft. Scott Safadi of Cal Bay Property Management recommends giving print marketing a second thought. There is room for both analog and digital in your marketing strategy!
We're all used to receiving important information via snail mail. Everyday life is filled with jury duty summonses, bills and cards from friends. Marketing is about meeting people where they are at. If prospective tenants are guaranteed to check their mailbox each day and you forgo the opportunity to get inside of it, you miss out on a great platform for marketing. Consider, too, the sheer amount of noise in the average email inbox. Compared with the few odd pieces of junk mail in our actual mailbox, emails can easily get lost in the shuffle. That is not to say you shouldn't send emails. Send both and double your chances of getting the right prospective tenant's eyes on your message. Print marketing can also lend a sense of authority to your marketing campaign. Like it or not, internet marketing is not always the most trustworthy. Who among us has not received a spam email from a suspicious account? On the other hand, print marketing is reserved for real businesses investing in their company. The existence of the print material lends an air of trustworthiness that an email simply does not. There is also the permission aspect to consider. Anyone anywhere can send a piece of mail, but email marketing is permission-based. In order to send out an email sharing your current vacancies, you'll need to build an email list of people who have opted into sharing such details with you. Chances are good, even the most robust email list will be smaller than the list of addresses you can put together to send out a physical mailer. Of course, the physical advantages of print marketing should not be discounted, either. While it takes only a moment to delete an email you don't think you're interested in, taking a flyer out of a mailbox forces you to look at it and consider the message. It may sit out on a coffee table or counter top for a few days, creating multiple opportunities for a prospective tenant to reconsider your message. Print messaging should encompass more than just direct mail, too. Brochures, business cards, letterhead, billboards and even old-fashioned newspaper advertisements. The sky is the limit for print, so your team should not be so quick to focus all your attention and investment into digital marketing. There is room for both. - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management
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Email marketing is seen as a necessary evil in 2018. Every company has them, and everyone's inbox is full of corporate newsletters. While you might ignore spam messages from companies you purchased shoes from two years ago, the vast majority of these emails are actually opened and read. While you may see these messages as annoying, most people are more likely to engage with direct marketing than with other forms of advertising. After all, says Scott Safadi of Cal Bay Property Management, these are emails folks opted into.
Breaking through to potential tenants can be easy with these email marketing campaigns. It starts with a little strategy. If you and your marketing team are not considering your target audience and what you hope to accomplish with your email newsletters, you need to go back to the drawing board. Think about the age and background of the folks reading your email and consider those things when you write. With your target demographics in mind, pen a newsletter that speaks the same language they do. Forgo technical jargon. While it might make you sound smarter, you risk alienating an audience who will become quickly bored by industry terms. Create subject lines that are engaging and fun. Who can resist opening an email with a subject line like "Want discounted rent?" or "Exciting plans for 2018!" Ultimately, your email marketing campaign should foster relationships with the people on your mailing list. Provide helpful, useful content that will entertain and inform your audience. You can and should share information about your property and vacancies, but an email marketing campaign is the perfect platform to blend the personal with the professional. By using your personality in these emails, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority figure in the community. Email marketing should not replace social media marketing. Instead, blend the two to establish a voice across platforms. Social networking should complement the work you do with your emails. Folks tend to check email and their social networks when they get online, so make sure your message is similar in both mediums. Of course, repeating content is a no no. Instead, find a unique way to present similar ideas on multiple platforms. Just having a regular e-newsletter is an accomplishment. By making your content more engaging, more fun and more informative, though, you can ensure your time is not being wasted sending emails nobody opens. Meet with your marketing team today to begin planning your own mailing list makeover. - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management Chasing trends can be a fool's errand. If you're not careful, adorning your properties with the latest and trendiest of decor can quickly date an apartment or home. Opt for the alternative, however, and you risk leaving your units outdated and old-fashioned. So what's a property owner to do? Scott Safadi of Cal Bay Property Management recommends staying abreast of the changing color trends and keeping them in mind when updating your property.
With that in mind, here are a few of 2018's most exciting color trends and easy ways to incorporate them: Peaceful Blue-Greens Nothing says serene like the blue-greens that have come into fashion this year. Evoking peaceful seas, the color has a way of putting a person in a vacation state of mind. While a brighter pastel version was more common in 2017, the quieter blue-green trend of 2018 can infuse a space with quiet and calm. Mellow enough for any room of the house, try it in the bedroom or bathroom for the ultimate relaxation setting. Fifty Shades of Gray Gray has been en vogue for years. As a neutral, it will always be in style to some degree. In 2018, though, purple-tinted grays are ideal for spaces you want to be more inviting. The warmth of the color makes it perfect for entry ways and dining rooms. Blue-grays, on the other hand, lend freshness to any space. Versatile and tranquil, blue-grays should be used in the same way blue-greens are used: in bathrooms, bedrooms and other serene spaces. Sunny Yellow Those in an adventurous mood should embrace bright yellows and goldenrods in 2018. Not only to the energize a space, they have a way of uplifting one's mood. Ideal for the kitchen, yellows can spark an appetite and get you in the mood to cook. A pale yellow can also work beautifully in a home office, providing a happy and productive air to a room. Warm Beiges Beige is a permanent fixture in homes and apartments across the country. For property owners and managers hoping to bring their properties into the 21st century, though, beige can be updated. Embrace a pinky brown for living spaces rather than the brown-beiges of years past. Paired with light blue decor and natural wood floors, beige can feel ultra-modern and chic. No matter how you choose to incorporate color in your space, these options are sure to brighten up a home. - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management It's chilly outside. Regardless of where you live in the US, there's no denying that winter has truly arrived. Whether you're handling multiple feet of snow or simply having to wake up a few minutes early to scrape ice off of your windshield before commuting to work, winter can be a pain. For property managers, it's important to remember the dangers associated with the cold months. A misuse of heating devices can result in serious property damage, injuries or worse.
Scott Safadi of Cal Bay Property Management recommends reviewing safety procedures with tenants during the winter months. While it may seem unnecessary, the National Fire Protection Association reports that heating devices like space heaters are the second leading cause of house fires. The last thing you want is a serious blaze on your hands. Talk with your tenants about heat safety. Remind them that stoves and ovens should be used only for cooking purposes, never to heat their home. Space heaters should never be left unattended, and should be turned off when not in use. Keep bedding, paper and other flammable materials at least three feet from space heaters when they are turned on. Be sure to use space heaters only on hardwood or tile floor and never on carpeted areas. Invest in a model that will turn off if tipped over. Even fireplaces can turn deadly if used improperly. Many people fail to realize just how dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning can be. Known as the silent killer, it is a colorless, odorless gas that is sometimes released by faulty heating devices. If there is not enough ventilation, a person can quickly become overwhelmed by the gas. Inhale enough carbon monoxide and you face serious symptoms including dizziness, nausea and headaches. Fail to get fresh air in time and carbon monoxide poisoning can even be fatal. The best way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning? Install carbon monoxide detectors in every unit you rent out. Be sure to always replace their batteries when you go to replace the batteries in your smoke detector. - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management |
AuthorScott Safadi leverages extensive experience in the real estate industry to serve as the CEO of Cal Bay Property Management (CBPM), which he founded in Palo Alto, California. Archives
January 2020
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